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These Are The 10 Best Places Places In Montana To Get A Job

By Chris Kolmar
May. 18, 2016

Find a Job You Really Want In

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If you’re starting to look for a job in Montana, you’ve come to the right place.

You might think off the top of your head that Helena would be an excellent place to find a job. And while the capital does offer many opportunities, it isn’t the best in the state according to the data.

Here at Zippia, we aim to answer questions like this using cold hard facts and analysis. So we set our sights on determining the best place in Montana to find a job.

After analyzing all 58 plus places in Montana, we came up with this list as the best places for jobs in the Treasure State:

  1. Fairview
  2. Bozeman
  3. Sidney
  4. Glasgow
  5. Churchill
  6. Manhattan
  7. Glendive
  8. Belgrade
  9. Absarokee
  10. Plentywood

So listen up Libby as we explain how we created this ranking, you could learn some things from the rest of the state.

How We Determined The Best Places For Jobs In Treasure State

We first researched detailed data on all places in Montana. However, in order to properly compare places in an apples-to-apples manner, we set a minimum population threshold of 5,000 people.

This left us with 58 places in Montana to analyze.

We then ranked each place across a number of criteria from one to 58, with one being the best.

We took the average rank across all criteria, with the place posting the lowest overall score being crowned the winner of the title “Best Place For Jobs In Montana”.

The criteria we looked at were:

  • Unemployment rate
  • Recent job growth
  • Future job growth
  • Median household income

Sources of criteria include the the BLS and Sperling’s Best Places.

If your city or town isn’t among the top 10, jump down to the bottom of the post to see a detailed chart and a downloadable file of all the data.

Otherwise, learn how these cities moved up the career ladder.

1. Fairview

Population: 913 Unemployment Rate: 2.60%
Recent Job Growth: 4.35%
Future Job Growth: 46.10%

2. Bozeman

Population: 37,619Unemployment Rate: 3.10%
Recent Job Growth: 4.57%
Future Job Growth: 46.00%

3. Sidney

Population: 5,360Unemployment Rate: 2.60%
Recent Job Growth: 4.35%
Future Job Growth: 46.10%

4. Glasgow

Population: 3,268Unemployment Rate: 3.30%
Recent Job Growth: 4.56%
Future Job Growth: 45.80%

5. Churchill

Population: 1,032 Unemployment Rate: 3.40%
Recent Job Growth: 4.57%
Future Job Growth: 45.70%

6. Manhattan

Population: 1,394 Unemployment Rate: 3.40%
Recent Job Growth: 4.57%
Future Job Growth: 45.70%

7. Glendive

Population: 4,990Unemployment Rate: 2.70%
Recent Job Growth: 3.15%
Future Job Growth: 43.60%

8. Belgrade

Source: Wikipedia

Population: 7,439Unemployment Rate: 3.40%
Recent Job Growth: 4.57%
Future Job Growth: 45.70%

9. Absarokee

Population: 1,093 Unemployment Rate: 3.50%
Recent Job Growth: 3.33%
Future Job Growth: 43.20%

10. Plentywood

Population: 1,626 Unemployment Rate: 2.40%
Recent Job Growth: 2.41%
Future Job Growth: 42.40%

Detailed List Of The Best Places In Montana For Jobs

City Rank Population Unemployment Rate Recent Job Growth Future Job Growth
Fairview 1 913 2.60% 4.35% 46.10%
Bozeman 2 37,619 3.10% 4.57% 46.00%
Sidney 3 5,360 2.60% 4.35% 46.10%
Glasgow 4 3,268 3.30% 4.56% 45.80%
Churchill 5 1,032 3.40% 4.57% 45.70%
Manhattan 6 1,394 3.40% 4.57% 45.70%
Glendive 7 4,990 2.70% 3.15% 43.60%
Belgrade 8 7,439 3.40% 4.57% 45.70%
Absarokee 9 1,093 3.50% 3.33% 43.20%
Plentywood 10 1,626 2.40% 2.41% 42.40%
Columbus 11 1,982 3.50% 3.33% 43.20%
Roundup 12 1,825 3.80% 2.54% 41.30%
Missoula 13 66,982 4.00% 2.07% 40.10%
Frenchtown 14 1,566 4.20% 2.07% 39.90%
Poplar 15 1,091 5.40% 2.66% 39.90%
Clinton 16 950 4.20% 2.07% 39.90%
Lolo 17 3,374 4.20% 2.07% 39.90%
Hamilton 18 4,393 6.00% 2.89% 39.80%
Stevensville 19 2,280 6.00% 2.89% 39.80%
Bigfork 20 4,356 6.60% 2.65% 38.70%
Lockwood 21 6,606 3.20% 0.56% 37.90%
Scobey 22 1,079 3.40% 0.72% 38.00%
Lakeside 23 2,285 6.60% 2.65% 38.70%
Choteau 24 1,808 3.60% 0.95% 38.30%
Billings 25 104,374 3.20% 0.56% 37.90%
Somers 26 1,116 6.60% 2.65% 38.70%
Laurel 27 6,763 3.20% 0.56% 37.90%
Evergreen 28 6,696 6.60% 2.65% 38.70%
Malta 29 1,911 5.30% 1.80% 38.30%
Whitefish 30 6,402 6.60% 2.65% 38.70%
Kalispell 31 20,016 6.60% 2.65% 38.70%
Colstrip 32 2,395 5.40% 1.56% 37.70%
Baker 33 1,832 2.00% -0.34% 37.30%
Pray 34 945 5.30% 1.44% 37.60%
Forsyth 35 1,825 5.40% 1.56% 37.70%
Gardiner 36 934 5.30% 1.44% 37.60%
Lewistown 37 5,897 4.10% 0.68% 37.30%
Walkerville 38 1,005 4.60% 1.08% 37.60%
Livingston 39 7,071 5.30% 1.44% 37.60%
Helena 40 28,381 3.60% -0.13% 36.10%
Clancy 41 1,553 4.50% -0.14% 35.20%
Dillon 42 4,149 3.50% -0.83% 34.80%
Boulder 43 1,298 4.50% -0.14% 35.20%
Superior 44 1,108 7.70% 1.52% 35.30%
Whitehall 45 1,097 4.50% -0.14% 35.20%
Conrad 46 2,572 5.00% -0.08% 34.80%
Shelby 47 2,864 3.00% -2.76% 31.50%
Harlowton 48 917 3.60% -2.43% 31.50%
Pablo 49 1,989 6.40% 0.24% 34.10%
Polson 50 4,524 6.40% 0.24% 34.10%
Ronan 51 2,143 6.40% 0.24% 34.10%
Townsend 52 2,041 5.70% -0.36% 33.60%
Chinook 53 1,286 5.30% -2.14% 30.40%
Browning 54 1,172 9.80% 0.16% 30.50%
Hardin 55 3,510 11.10% 0.54% 30.00%
Havre 56 9,425 5.50% -2.68% 29.10%
Eureka 57 1,123 13.40% -2.53% 21.50%
Libby 58 2,667 13.40% -2.53% 21.50%
Never miss an opportunity that’s right for you.

Author

Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar is a co-founder of Zippia and the editor-in-chief of the Zippia career advice blog. He has hired over 50 people in his career, been hired five times, and wants to help you land your next job. His research has been featured on the New York Times, Thrillist, VOX, The Atlantic, and a host of local news. More recently, he's been quoted on USA Today, BusinessInsider, and CNBC.

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